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Woody Harrelson

As weird a dude as he is, Woody Harrelson is a remarkable actor, and his two Oscar nominations are a testament to his impressive career. Known for playing dark, seedy characters (his first nomination came for playing Larry Flynt), Harrelson might have his most interesting part ever as the lead in Oren Moverman's Rampart. Harrelson's last nomination was for Supporting Actor in Moverman's The Messenger, which is a good sign for Harrelson's chances this year. It is only a question of whether or not the film will get enough attention.

Ryan Gosling

Gosling's one nomination is almost as shocking as Oldman's none, especially considering how hot Gosling has been (both career-wise and now I'm drooling on my keyboard thinking about him) in the last few years. Overlooked for performances in Lars and the Real Girl and Blue Valentine, Gosling is back in the hunt this year with two performances in well-received films. He dominates the screen in both The Ides of March and Drive, but he's not terribly flashy in either, which won't help him get a nomination this year. Still, if a lot of support is thrown behind either film, it could push him in.

Michael Shannon

One of those actors who has been around forever (his first film credit was in Groundhog Day), nobody paid Shannon any attention until his scene-stealing performance in Revolutionary Road, for which he received his first ever Oscar nomination. Shannon is in the lead category this year with another dark, disturbed character in Take Shelter. Shockingly, this film about a possibly mentally-deranged man preparing for the apocalypse wasn't a box-office smash, but it did get a lot of critical acclaim, especially for Shannon's performance. If enough Academy members see the film they will certainly remember him in it.

The Up & Coming:

Juan Dujardin

You haven't heard of Juan Dujardin, but it's okay, I forgive you (unless you're French, and you have heard of him, in which case, holla!), but the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor winner is getting lauded from every direction. The fact that his performance is silent might be seen as a drawback if this film wasn't getting so much love right now. Unless something crazy happens, Dujardin should cruise to a nomination and is the frontrunner for the win.

Michael Fassbender

Easily the most challenging role to the somewhat conservative tastes of Academy members comes from Michael Fassbender as a sex addict in Shame. Fassbender has been on a hot streak the last couple of years, giving acclaimed performances in both independent films (A Dangerous Method and Jane Eyre) and blockbusters (Magneto in X-Men: First Class), but this is his first role to garner significant Oscar buzz. If the Academy can handle a film rated NC-17, Fassbender could be a serious contender, especially considering this is one of four great performances he's given this year.

Tom Hardy

I take credit for discovering Hardy back when he was in Bronson, before he broke out in Inception and became a star. Sadly, his superb performance in Warrior has been mostly overlooked because the film bombed, but I have to think that anybody who saw it acknowledges how great he was. Could that be enough to sneak into the Best Actor race? Lionsgate will have push this movie really hard to make sure it gets seen.

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